in Pitt Football 828 Words

Pitt VB into Round Three…!

Here is another well researched and written article on the Women’s Volleyball team’s progress through the tournament sent in by John in SC…

Pitt women’s volleyball’s next test in the NCAA tournament is PAC-12 winner the Washington Huskies.  Washington has a 19-3 record.  Their three losses were to Arizona State, #15 UCLA, and # 16 Oregon.  They also beat all three teams in their two-match series.  The other wins over ranked teams were two wins over #10 Utah by the scores of 3-0 and 3-1.  Washington is ranked #7 and was seeded #6 in the tournament.

As of this writing of the five teams from the PAC-12 in the tournament only Washington remains in the tournament.  Four of the five teams were seeded.  The three teams went down in the second round. Oregon got eliminated in the third round by #7 seed Purdue.

Washington has been pushing their luck in the tournament.  Dayton took them to 5 sets.  Washington won the first 2 sets, lost the next 2 sets, and won the last set 15-11.  Washington just barely beat Louisville.  Washington won the first and fourth sets, with Louisville winning sets two and three.  After beating Louisville 25-14 in the fourth set, Washington got off to a horrible start in the fifth set down 5-0.  They would also be down by 7-1 and 10-4 in the set. 

Louisville unfortunately fell apart and lost the set and therefore the match by a score of 15-13.  Washington and Louisville played their match on the same court after the Pitt victory over Minnesota so they have about 3 hours less rest ahead of the match than Pitt.

Here are the some of the awards the Huskies have received this year.  #7 Ella May Powell, 6’0”, was named PAC-12 Setter of the year.  Head Coach Keegan Cook was named PAC-12 Coach of the year.  In addition to Powell, #9 Samantha Drechsel, 6’4”, and #21 Claire Hoffman, 6’2”, were first team PAC-12.  #1, Lauren Sanders, 6’4”, and #12 Marin Grote, 6’4”, were honorable mention.  #18 Madi Endsley, 6’2”, made the All-Freshman team.

Washington’s hitting percentage is 0.256 while holding their opponents to 0.197.  They average 2.6 blocks per set.  They have 144 service aces to 198 service errors.  Dreshel, Hoffman, and Endsley make their offense go.  Between them they have 72% of the kills.  Not surprisingly the Huskies only use one setter, Powell.  Powell is third in digs on the team.  Drechsel and Grote are their leading blockers with numerous of secondary blockers.

Pitt is again facing a very tall team that is well coached.  They are not as battled tested as Minnesota.  Washington is very resilient and poised in the face of great adversity.  Louisville did us no favors by blowing the big lead in that last set.  Washington now probably feels they are a team of destiny.  With Pitt’s win over Minnesota, Washington will not be overconfident.  Pitt is the talk of the tournament now!

So, what can Pitt due to win this match?  In this match they need to concentrate on Drechsel and Hoffman.  They need to serve at their setter, Powell, and target her with our hits.  She cannot set if she has first contact.  Others have tried this tactic as shown by Powell being third in digs. 

Pitt again needs to communicate with the front line on who is across the net from them.  They need to tool their hits against blocks and look for openings.  They need to play as error free as possible.  Louisville did not and lost.

Pitt just had the biggest win in the history of the program on Sunday with their victory over Minnesota.  Pitt’s players were on an adrenaline high after the victory.  Coach Fisher hopefully calmed them down.  Hopefully they all came down from that natural high, crashed, and slept well.  This is going to be crucial for Pitt to win.  Pitt is no longer the hunter but the hunted.  They cannot feel pressured.  No one expected them to be in this spot.  That is how they need to play, loose, but under control!

What are Pitt’s chances for victory?  In a three set match Pitt wins.  That means Pitt came out fast and Washington never recovered.  I seriously doubt this happens.  Pitt will probably come out flat given the emotional drain of the Minnesota win.  I see this match going to four or five sets.  In four sets Pitt has a 60% chance of victory.  It is a coin toss, if it goes to five sets with only a 50% chance victory.  I am counting on the calmness of Coach Fisher to carry over to his team and bring us to victory! 

Hail to these fighting, scrappy Panthers!

Washington

Next Match: vs. Washington

4/19/2021 | Noon ET

ESPN2

157 thoughts on “Pitt VB into Round Three…!”

  1. Pitt is under ranked in this tournament. Purdue is a number 7 seed?

    Based on Pitts play in the spring, they should have gotten a top ten seed. Those two losses to Syracuse killed their chances.

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  2. This is no place for a squirrel. There’s only prairie and cornfields around here. What I’d give for a delicious nut from a Live Oak.

    I did yell out Steve Pederson at a local bar last night. Got a bunch of dirty looks.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Thanks for the article, John of SC. Now I will look forward to reading yours and Annie’s comments during the match (I check from time to time to see how Pitt’s playing) and then finally watching the replay of the win. Hope it’s in three. Going to five was stressful even though I wasn’t watching, just reading comments.

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    1. No pain. No gain. Hang in there Hobie. Wandering through the barren Pitt sports desert may end today. I did say Final 4 for Pitt. I won’t say if I used my Tardis or not.

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    1. The women are pretty to look at, Tex. I assume it’s why fans tune into NCAA Softball and women’s Soccer nationally, versus men’s collegiate Soccer and Baseball. (It makes a difference for me, at least — but I’m a “sports fan” foremost.)

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      1. At Pitt football games, I’m more interested in the cheerleaders and dance team than the game itself. Until the guys give me a reason to pay attention.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Pitt up 9-6. Timeout by Washington. John back. Better announcers. Washington having errors.

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  15. 11-7
    early our misses were a couple serve misses long

    looking more even now as W is getting their footing

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  20. Pitt up by 6, 16-10. Need to close this out and win the first set. Washington having problems.

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  29. 22-18, Pitt calls timeout. Need to break serve and take this set. Do not let the dog get up Panthers!

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  37. The dog did not get away! Panthers win first set 25-20. Pitt playing pretty well. Having trouble with my pet peeve, service errors. Need to play error free. Remember these Huskies are resilient so Pitt needs to keep punching them. Tire them out and make them keep making errors. Huskies errors lost them the first set!

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  41. Washington takes first timeout of second set with Pitt up 8-4. Panthers need to smell blood and keep clawing at this dog!!!

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  45. Pitt takes Washington’s punch and counter punches back. Washington uses last time out at 14-10 with Pitt up. Panthers need to keep clawing and biting the reeling pooch.

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  50. Keep it up ladies. I’m afraid to start watching, don’t want to change the mojo…To boldly go where no Panther has gone before!

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  51. Pitt calls time out at 19-15. Fisher trying to find solution to serving problem. Put Cat Flood in to serve. Washington went at her with the hits. Need to keep pressure on this dog. It is getting nervous.

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  55. Pitt calls a timeout at 22-20. Next point is crucial. Big, big difference between 23-20 or 22-21. Need this point badly!

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    1. That is a critical point. Hope coaching staff keeps pounding that into the team’s mind!!

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  60. Pitt wins second set 25-21. We won that crucial 23-20 point and were able to finish. Bloody dog is down and reeling. Need to take it out in the 3rd set!! Kill all hope!!

    Coach Fisher bringing Flood in to serve says alot about his confidence in Flood’s serve. Good omen for future!!

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  65. Pitt calls time out down 6-3. Third set off to a sloppy start. Need to just play error free the rest of the way. Nothing spectacular.

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  69. Pitt uses last timeout at 13-7. Pitt is going to lose this set. Need to use rest of set to clean up errors and build up Lund’s confidence. We will need her in the fourth set! Slowly cut down the lead and end it closer to get some momentum going into fourth set!

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    1. She is a team leader. Pulling her would destroy team confidence. Just set other people. Lund drawing a crowd every time she touches the ball. Good decoy!

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  73. Lund not at her finest.

    I would pay good money to listen to Billy Hillgrove do a play by play of a volleyball game on TV while of course…….. plastered.

    Liked by 3 people

  74. Pitt loses third set 25-16. Pitt still in the driver’s seat. Fisher put in backup libero Popovic to rest some of the starters. May need to not go to Lund as much this set. Use our depth on the front line to bring this home. Need to end it in 4. Try to keep the set close. Keep the pressure on these dogs! Dogs tire! Panthers do not!

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  77. Pitt is trouble. They are tight and making errors. Fisher needs to tell them to play loose and not press. Down 9-6 at the timeout they called. Using Lund too much!!

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  80. Pitt down 13-9. Hopefully this is a sign for a turnaround. Panther is hurting! Come Pitt get up off the floor and return to the fight!

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  82. Pls keep up the commentary. I have a Dr appointment and can’t watch further. Cmon ladies .. get up off the floor!

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  85. Pitt is out of gas. Out of legs. And out of luck. Should I hop in the Tardis to see how that fifth set ends?

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  95. OMG….this is getting more than nerve racking….gotta get back to working the middle
    with chokolo

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  100. Does anyone know if Lund and Ndee can play another season? Or does the Covid thing only apply to football and basketball?

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  101. Im sure the loss is heartbreaking for the Ladies, particularly since they had the 2-0 lead. But, a great run by them this year. Nothing to be ashamed of at all. They are really fun to watch – I’m a fan.

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  106. What a great season for Pitt’s women’s volleyball team! They used up all their adrenaline yesterday. Washington came out tight and made a lot of errors. Pitt was in big trouble in the fourth set down 13-9 and they never recovered. Lund had a great career at Pitt! Not going to say anything more. She got us to this point!!

    Both Lund and Ndee can come back but I doubt either will. Ndee wants to be a doctor and I hope she has been accepted to a medical school! She is a great student. Lund has nothing left to prove at the collegian level. She wants to play pro ball or play on our national team.

    Future looks bright for Pitt volleyball. The #19 ranked sophomore class is very good. Vasquez Gomez is going to be our six rotation player next year. Flood apparently is a very good server. We have a good incoming class. Go to Pitt’s volleyball team site and read about them. We will probably get a transfer outside hitter added to the incoming class.

    This year’s run in the tournament will help Pitt in so many ways. As Tex mentioned several times, Coach Fisher will have an easier time convincing better recruits to come to Pitt. Pitt will get the benefit of the doubt when tournament time comes around next year. In the past Pitt’s pedigree was always suspect coming out of the ACC along with their tournament history of never getting past the second round. Standing toe to toe with Washington and surprising everyone with their victory over Minnesota gave the “street cred” within the volleyball community.

    Well done Panthers! Keep your heads up!!

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  107. Congrats ladies. Made us all proud. I couldn’t find a priest in time to exorcise SOP. Sandy did chase Narduzzi out of the building but the jinx was already done.

    Soccer selection for playoffs is today. I expect Pitt to receive a two seed.

    I still expect Pitt baseball to go to regionals.

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  108. Announcers didn’t make much or anything of this, but Washington was much taller than our girls.

    They had three 6’4″ middle blockers and even their outside hitters were 6’2″ tall. Even their
    Libero was 6’2″ tall.

    Pitt’s middle blockers were only 6’1″, 6’2″ & 5’11” and outside hitters were only 5’11” and 6’0″

    Which is why they had 22 Blocks to Pitt’s 17. And caused mega hitting errors from Pitt’s outside hitters.

    Also their serving was much better, as they had more aces than us. So they got many easy points.

    As the match got longer Pitt got more tired, Washington’s height advantage became more prevalent.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes, Pitt is on the smaller size especially in the middle. Russ, a member of that sophomore recruiting class will become a full time player next year. She is 6’5″. Stark and Nwokolo will need to learn to play outside positions as Russ is a natural center. Akeo is kind of small to let Pitt play a 5-1 offense hopefully our incoming freshman can play enough next year to let us maintain our 6-2 offense.

      In today’s match Pitt actually went to a 5-1 to try to change things up. We also had two defensive specialist on the floor at the same time in the fifth set with Browske and Popovic. Both are used as liberos, but Fisher needed to make sure we made good serve receives. Fisher was trying everything he could to get Pitt some momentum but our tank was empty!

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  109. Narduzzi and his ego are death to Pitt Sports. So sorry our ladies lost and in such a tough manner. Got lulled to sleep ala Louisville.

    Great season. Thanks for the the memories. They’ll be good ones!

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    1. Not really sure how dislike of Narduzzi is all that relevant here? Whatever he may be or do to Pitt football, I’m not sure he has much impact on VB?

      Liked by 1 person

  110. Success begets success. Fisher should be able to capilitze on this unprecedented run with a great recruiting class. Plus Pitt will be moving into a new venue within three years. Very good selling points.

    But I do worry about UCLA or usc or even California making a run for fisher. Fisher is a Cali native. Those schools could double his salary and pay for his meager buyout. I fully expect those schools to be reaching out. Will Pitt step up?

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    1. UCLA is pretty happy with their current coach. I am more concerned about the dairy school. Russ Rose is a tad on the old side. Volleyball is very important to the cow people. They will spend big money on Olympic sport coaching, see wrestling, to maintain the status quo. Biggest question is if they will take an outsider or someone with a Penn State history. I was up at State College when Pitt took them down in three sets. Everyone was very impressed with how well Pitt was coached. They know about the “Fish”.

      One big plus is where would you prefer to live, in the ‘Burg or on the farm! The ‘Burg should win out every time. Rec Hall in about the same as what Pitt now has. It is not air conditioned and is very long in the tooth.

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    1. Pitt teams seem to perform better with low or no expectations. Hopefully the soccer team changes that.

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  112. I can’t remember when I last had this amount of extended excitement about a Pitt team. Who knew that following Pitt’s women’s volleyball in the tournament would be so much nail biting fun? Have a feeling Pitt will be back next year. Hope so.

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  113. Amazing how Pitt volleyball has players from Texas (Jordan Lockwood & Ndee), Hawaii (Lexis Akeo), Puerto Rico (VVG), California (Lund), Nebraska (Starks), Illinois (Flood), Greece (Faki), Serbia (Popovic) & Canada (Dick).

    That is what I call not only National, but International Recruiting. Had to be the most diverse team left
    in the Tourney.

    Enjoyed the run, nice seeing a Pitt sports team that was relevant for a change !!!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Good observation. I needed glasses to see that. I mean I really need glasses. I’m far sighted these days. So whack a gopher, what is your real name. My real name obviously isn’t Tex. It’s mike. Indiana County boy. Ike and big B know Indiana. I enjoy your commentary.

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  114. I’m heading back to Texas after the UT/Nebraska game.

    I miss my 20 acres, barbecue and pecan pie.

    But I’ll be on the road again shortly for Pitt soccer.

    I had a good time in Omaha. Husker fans and I agree on one thing…Steve Pederson sucks.

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    1. Did you tell them, his nickname is Cornhole.

      Nice on-site reporting…lol

      Send me some Omaha steaks before you leave btw.

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      1. Oh yes. They got a good laugh out of that. I also told them that their steaks are from cattle in Texas.

        Sandy – whose ancestors drive cattle up to Kansas on the Chisholm Trail.

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  115. Hobie – WVB was great and you are right, it was exciting. Because it was an actual winning program to follow and good games to watch it felt great.

    Probably magnified by the mediocre results over the past four seasons with a 26-24 (1-1 in bowls) football team and the horrid 48-71 record in Pitt BB over the same period.

    Plus I think most fans can easily envision themselves as having been able to play soccer, softball, volleyball, etc. in college instead of the two main sports of FB & BB.

    I was a good athlete in HS (11 letters in four full years) and had a soccer scholarship (goalie only!) offer to a very good soccer school and also was a pretty darn good shooting guard in HS BB…but never even thought about playing BB or FB at college varsity level. Too many very talented and very physical players in those two volley programs. I knew I’d get my ass handed to me if I tried.

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    1. I know soccer but there’s no way I can match John. I haven’t watched much pitt soccer except for video highlights. Heck I don’t even know the formation coach Jay uses but I think a 4-3-3.

      If I can stream the game come playoff time, I’ll comment. And I’m sending Sandy and she knows her soccer. She is a bit worried about the dogs in attendance though.

      Pitt got an easy bracket and they could meet Washington in the quarters. Remember Omaha will be the chant.

      Pitt isn’t peaking and on a roll like women’s volleyball. And although Pitt is very skilled and technical, they lack toughness and grit. A physical team with a counterattack and specialists can shut pitt down. Clemson was that team. Bad matchup for Pitt.

      The Pitt News had a good writeup that I posted a while back. I do see this Pitt team getting to the Final Four given their draw. I was worried it would be the draw of death.

      Yes, soccer might be boring after watching volleyball. But it is the worlds most popular game. And their athletes are far better than the vast majority of American football players. And that’s no BS so don’t even call me on it. It’s called the beautiful game for a reason.

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  117. A tip of the cap to the University of Washington Volleyball team. That was a gutsy performance. To play three sets with your back against the wall like they did is pretty impressive. But I really thought we were going to pull out that fourth set when we took the lead at 25-24 (I think that was the score). That in-the-net call was such a killer.

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  118. As a follow up to a previous post by PittPT, I for one would be interested in getting together for a women’s volleyball game or two next season with you, Annie or whoever. Especially if we can meet at Hemingways before the match to catch up. I would bet that we could even talk Fran into joining us in, oh I don’t know, about 2 nanoseconds.

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    1. I’m in too.

      Had to work today so I followed the match but only caught snippets of plays. I’ll watch the whole thing later. My thoughts down the line were that Pitt ran out of gas, back row did not do a good job of passing making Pitt’s offense predictable, and untimely service errors killed us. The players legs were probably shot too.

      Need to make strength and conditioning a priority for next season. Take a few weeks off to rest, then start bulk I up for next year.

      H2P, the ladies made all of us proud. THAT’S how you build a fan base!

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      1. What did you tell me. Conditioning and nutrition. You were right.

        One pet peeve, I don’t know why these games can’t be played with a break in between.

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        1. Tex, what do you mean break in between- like a day between matches? I think last year when they had matches at the different locations they played 2 rounds at each location, separated by a day off in between, then moved to a new location for the next 2 rounds the next week. I’m guessing because they are requiring everyone to stay and play at the same place that they want to make it a more compact tourney- especially since they are playing out of season anyway.

          It is grueling for the non-seeded teams to have to play an extra match before the seeded teams do. But such is the situation we have this year. Hopefully this whole experience will be positive motivation for the ladies to continue to reach for high levels of play. To play hard through the whole match, instead playing to “not lose”. To realize that THEY CAN PLAY WITH ANYBODY WHEN THEY PLAY THEIR GAME.

          I wasn’t happy with them playing at noon today, but it is what it is. (Doesn’t Tomlin say that?) I’m glad that they got the Pitt fan base excited for their sport. Hopefully it translates into more support $$ and fans in the seats next year.

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          1. Yes. A day off. I had a good feeling despite the massages and carbs that Pitt would struggle. Almost seems like torture to not get a break. I saw right away that Lund didn’t have her legs. I guess as a former coach you pick up on those details.

            I sure do hope pitt capitalizes off this run. They should be marketing like Hell.

            And that noon start was 11 am in Texas. I’ve gotten used to football games at that time but still. I tailgated. Enjoyed it. Felt better than anytime in over ten years with Pitt football despite the loss.

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  121. So, this morning I listened to to The Fan this morning on my way in to work and hoped that in the admittedly very brief sports news segment, our volleyball team might get some love for making the Elite 8 for the first time in history from Pitt’s FLAGSHIP STATION, but alas not a word. If tomorrow The Fan makes a point to mention that Pitt was knocked out of the tournament I will be majorly POed.

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    1. One thing I do like about heather is that when she first came in, she wanted to elevate all sports. The standard is the standard. That means getting to post season. Let’s put to rest championships.

      But one thing I don’t like is that she doesn’t hold football and basketball to that same standard.

      If a coach in his second year can have a team ranked in the top 15 without great facilities, great tradition and great weather, why does Narduzzi get a free pass and an extension?

      Riddle me that.

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  122. Y’all should be getting stoked about Pitt soccer. They should go on a long run in the playoffs. You just won’t be able to comment for long stretches. These are going to be two to nil or 3-1 scores for the game. This isn’t five sets and close to 50 points per set. Temper your expectations.

    Then comes baseball in mid to late May. I expect Pitt to go to regionals, first time in 25 years, and depending on the the location, I could just be there. Soccer and baseball are the sports I’m most passionate about.

    I really could care less about football but it pays the bills and is the brand.

    The unknown is very exciting. I’m leaving the keys to the Tardis at home. If SOP rears it’s ugly head, so be it. But these teams are very respectable and already proven winners. Something Narduzzi will never sniff.

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  123. Texas women beat Nebraska today. They will play Wisconsin most likely in the Final 4. Hookem Horns.

    Sandy – who also likes to say H2P!

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